Get Ahead by Targeting Different Personality Types

Learn to identify and communicate with people of different styles

In her new book, Personality Power, Shoya Zichy shares an idea that ultimately increased business with her clients by 60 percent during her private banking days. She targeted them using four distinct, color-coded categories, an approach she calls Color Q. Based on the work of Carl Jung and psychologist David Keirsey and the extensive research of the Myers-Briggs community, Zichy developed Color Q as a quick introduction to personality typing.

Zichy’s Color Q model is made up of four different colors—red (as in a quick decision maker), green (as in an empathetic people person), blue (or someone who analytical and theoretical), and gold (stable, orderly, born to organize)—each representing a major personality type. Yet, she stresses that the model is not a labeling system denying each person’s individuality. “There are billions of unique people on our planet and only four color groups,” she says.

Personality Power contains a quick quiz to tell what color—primarily and secondarily—your personality falls under, and whether you're an introvert or extrovert. Zichy, who is currently a leadership consultant, believes that each color “confirms that every personality style is natural, equal, observable, and predictable, and that each can be equally effective at work.” She adds, “Once mastered, the system provides practical ways to maximize our natural talents, as well as those of others.” She says that Color Q can also be used as “a tool for understanding the sometimes-incomprehensible behaviors of colleagues, bosses, clients (and even dates, mates, and children!).”

With that as a backdrop, where do introverts and extroverts fit into each of the colors? The quick answer is that you’ll find both in every color. Take news personality Diane Sawyer, a “green” introvert whom Zichy interviewed for her book. Early in Sawyer’s career as the first female correspondent at 60 Minutes, Sawyer played to the strengths of her personality through what Zichy describes as her “ability to surgically get under a subject’s skin without drawing blood.” Zichy says that greens tend to “listen intently and question diplomatically.” She adds that they “do very well in the television and film industries with their natural authenticity. Famous or not, you need creative opportunities to impact the lives of others. You excel at written and verbal communications and are heavily represented among writers, TV hosts, and biographers.”

You can learn important insights about your personality as well as that of many other celebrities whom Zichy interviewed in her book. Meanwhile, here are Zichy's favorite tips for introverts (of all stripes) who want to get ahead in their careers:

Prepare questions prior to a meeting with an extrovert. This will fill the silences—and you will appear more engaged.

Going to a networking event? Find an extrovert and ask that individual to introduce you to others as you circulate with him or her.

Making a sales pitch or other one-on-one presentation to an extrovert? When you’re presenting, raise your energy level. Even when you are listening, be sure to nod and smile (a lot!). Extroverts need those external cues to tell you are paying attention.

Further to Zichy’s last point, what if you are presenting to someone new and don’t know if they are an extrovert? Engage in a brief, informal exchange with them before you dive in. Notice their body language and speech patterns. If they gesticulate a lot and have a loud/fast speech pattern, that often indicates that the person is an extrovert. Clearly, not every loud or fast speaker is an extrovert, but it is often a helpful clue.

Often, we focus on getting our words just right while overlooking the wealth of cues from our conversation partners. Learning more about personality styles increases our awareness of those cues and enables us to communicate with more impact—whether you’re selling yourself in a competitive job market, negotiating for higher pay, or want to be a successful leader at work.